Wire wrapping tool



Oct. 29, 1963 I E. T. JAMES 3,108,620

WIRE WRAPPING TOOL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 28, 1960 y INVENTOR'. nE Isworih I. James Oct. 29, 1963 Filed Sept. 28. 1960 Fig.5

E. T. JAMES 3,108,620

WIRE WRAPPING TOOL 2 Sheets-Shet 2 INVENTOR. Elsworfh 7. James AttorneysUnited States Patent 3,108,620- WEE WRAPPING T 00L Elsworth T. James,334 Fulier St, Redwood City, Calif. Filed Sept. 28, 1960, Ser. No.59,057 4 Claims. (Cl. 140124) This invention relates to a wire wrappingtool and more particularly to a wire wrapping tool for wrapping one ormore wires on a terminal or tab of the type having a hole therein toreceive the wire.

In making electrical connections from components to tube sockets,terminal strips, connectors and the like, it is often desirable andsometimes required that the wires of the components be wrapped ortwisted around the tab or terminals of the tube sockets or terminalstrips before the soldering operation is performed so as to makepossible a better electrical connection and also to ensure that a goodelectrical connection is formed between the wire and the terminal ortab. Heretofore, this wrapping operation has been normally performed byhand. Tools which have been developed for such an operation have beenfound to be unsatisfactory because they require that the enminal postsor tabs to which the wires are connected be able to withstandsubstantial twisting forces or torques. Conventional terminals and :thetabs have not been able to withstand such torques. There is therefore adefinite need for a new and improved tool for performing such twistingoperations which do not apply'torque to the terminals or tabs.

In general, it is an object of the present invention to provide a wirewrapping tool which twists the wire around the terminal or tabwithoutapplying torque to the terminal or tab.

Another object of the invention is to provide a Wire wrapping tool ofthe above character in which means is provided for holding the terminalor tab during the twisting operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wire wrapping tool ofthe above character in which the tool can be held in one band while thewire is inserted into the terminal or tab with the other hand.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wire wrappiugtool of theabove character in which means is provided for adjusting the depth towhich the wire can be inserted into the terminal or tab before the wireis twisted.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wire wrapping tool ofthe above character which can be readily operate-d.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wire wrapping tool ofthe above character which can be economically manufactured.

Additional objects and featares of the invention will appear from thefollowing description in which the preferred embodiment has been setforth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a wire Wrapping toolincorporating my invention.

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of my wire wrapping tool.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the wire wrapping tool with aside cover plate removed.

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of my wire wrapping tool.

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional View taken along the line 5-5 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectionfl view taken along the line 6-6 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURES 7A, 7B, and 7C are taken along the line 77 of FIGURE 5 showingvarious positions of the operating parts of the tool.

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FIGURE 8 is an enlarged detail view showing the tool being applied tothe tab of a connector.

FIGURE 9 is a view show-ins the tool applied to the tab of the connectorwith a wire inserted in the tab.

FIGURE 10 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG- URE 9.

In general, rny wire wrapping-tool for wrapping wire on a terminal ortab having a hole therein to receive a wire consists of means forholding the tab to prevent the application of torque or twisting forcesto the tab. This means is formed in such a manner that the wire can beinserted into the tab while it is held by the same. Means is providedfor twisting the wire about the tab after it has been inserted in thetab while the tab is held by the holding means. Stop means is providedfor limiting the length of wire which can be extended through the tab.

More in particular, my wire wrapping tool, as shown in the drawings,consists of a housing 11 having a side cover plate 12. The housing issubstantially in the form of a pistol or gun and is provided with aportion 13 which serves as means by which the tool can be gripped duringoperation as hereinafter described.

Holding means for the tab or terminal as hereinafiter described in theform of a center pin 14 is mounted on the forward portion in of thehousing 11 and is seated within an internal extension 17 of the housingas shown particularly in FIGURE 5. The end of the center pin 14 iscentered within the extension 17 and is squared at 20 to preventrotation of the center pin with respect to the extension 17. The centerpin 14 is provided with a slot 18 which opens into the outer end of thecenter pin 14 and which lies in the plane which is generally at rightangles to the plane of the housing 11. The slot 18 is formed by straightside walls 19 and 21 and a straight bottom wall 22 which inclinesupwardly at the rear end thereof as shown particularly in FIGURE 10.

A cylindrical sleeve 23 is rotatably mounted on the center pin 14 andextends into the forward portion 16 of the housing. The sleeve 23 isformed with an extension 24 which is adapted to engage the Wire toperform the twisting operation hereinafter described. The extension 24is provided with a forward face 2 6 which lies in a generally verticalplane at right angles to the plane of the slot 18 for a purposehereinafter described. The face extends into a rounded corner 27 whichalso performs a function in bending or twisting operation as hereinafterdescribed. The extension 24 is also provided with an abutment portion'28 which is adapted to engage the extension 14a of the center pin 14 toserve as a stop for the sleeve Z3. It will be noted as shownparticularly in FIGURE 7A that the extension 24 is formed in such amanner that it does not affect the size of the opening in the center pinprovided by the slot 18.

Suitable means is provided for rotating the extension 2-4 and consistsof a rack 31 which is slidably mounted in the housing 11 for verticalmovement therein. The rack 31 engages teeth provided on the inner end ofthe sleeve 23 which form a pinion-like portion 32 on the sleeve. Therack 31 is adapted to be operated by an operating arm or trigger-likemember 33 pivotally mounte'd within the housing upon a pin 34 andengaging a pin 36 mounted on the rack 31. As shown particularly inFIGURE 3, the housing is formed in such a manner that the operating arm33 can be moved rearwardly by grip ping the same and urging it into thespace 37 provided in the housing. Means is provided for yieldably urgingthe rack 31 to its uppermost position and the operating arm 33 to itsforward position and consists. of a spring 38 having one end connectedto the operating arm at 39 and the other end connected to the housing 11at 4 1.

An additional cylindrical sleeve 44- is rotatably mounted on the innersleeve 23. The sleeve 44 is provided with a collar 4-5 which isreleasably engaged by a cap 47 threaded onto an extension 48 provided onthe housing 31. By loosening the cap 47, the outer sleeve 44 can berotated with respect to the inner sleeve for a purpose hereinafterdescribed. The sleeve 44 is provided with a cut-out 49 so that asemi-cylindrical portion 51 is provided on the forward end of the sleevefor a purpose hereinafter described.

Use and operation of my wire wrapping tool may now bcbrietly describedas follows. Let it be assumed that it 1s desired to connect wires to aplurality of tabs 56 provided on a connector 57. The tabs 56 are of atype that are provided with elongate openings 58 which are adapted toreceive one or more wires to be electrically connected to the tab orterminal 56. In use, the apparatus in which the connection is being madeis positioned in such a manner that the tabs lie in a generallyhorizontal plane. It, however, is not necessary to have the tabs lie insuch a plane since the tool is adapted to be moved and used in variouspositions although not as comfortably. With the tabs in a horizontalplane the tool is grasped with one hand and held in a generally verticalposition so that the slot 18 lies in a horizontal plane. The tool isthen placed over the tab with the tab seating within the slot 18 in thecenter pin 14 as shown particularly in FIGURE 9.

Prior to the time that the tool is placed over the tab, it is normallydesired to position the outer or additional sleeve 44 in such a mannerthat it will underlie the opening 58 in the tab after the tool has beenplaced on the tab. As explained previously, it can be readily positionedby unloosening the cap 47, moving the sleeve 44 to the desired positionand then tightening the cap.

With the outer sleeve 44 in the proper position and with the toolmounted on the tab, the other hand grasps the wire to be connected tothe tab and inserts it through the hole 58 in the tab until it engagesthe portion 51 of the outer sleeve. While holding the wire in thisposition as shown in FIGURE 7A, the operating arm 33 of the tool isgradually moved inwardly into the housing to cause downward movement ofthe rack 31 and counterclockwise rotation of the inner sleeve 23 asviewed in FIGURE 7A. counterclockwise rotation of the sleeve 23 causesthe face 26 to move into engagement with the lower end of the wire 61and to cause the lower end of the wire to be twisted about the tab inthe manner shown in FIGURES 7B and 7C. The rounded corner portions 27provided on the extension 24 ensures that a smooth bend will be placedin the wire as it is wrapped about the tab. Rotation of the sleeve 23 iscontinued until the extension 24 engages the extension 14a provided onthe center pin. As shown in the drawing, the inner sleeve 23 is rotatedthrough approximately 270 to place a bend in the wire 61 so that it isfirmly wrapped about the terminal or tab. During the time that the wireis being wrapped about the tab, the tab is being held by the center pin14 so that it cannot be twisted.

As soon as the wrap has been completed, the operating arm 33 is releasedand the sleeve 23 is returned to its own initial position as shown inFIGURE 7A by the spring 38. The tool can then be removed from the tabafter which the wire 61 can be soldered in place. If desired beforesoldering, other wire can be wrapped on the tabs.

With such a tool, it can be seen that excellent electrical connectionscan be made. First a very good physical connection is made by the toolafter which the connection is improved by the application of solder. Itcan be seen that the tool is readily constructed in such a manner on theterminal with a pair of pliers and then to lay down the pliers and pickup a soldering iron and perform the soldering operation.

The tool makes it possible to mechanically fasten the wire to the tabmerely by one operation of the hand; that is, by pulling the operatingarm 33.

It is apparent from the foregoing that I have provided new and improvedwire wrapping tool which is particularly adapted for production linework and which makes it possible to wrap wires onto the terminals ortabs without placing any torque or twisting forces to the tabs. This isparticularly important in view of the fact that the tabs are generaliyformed of relatively light material which is readily deformed.

I claim:

1. In a wire wrapping tool for Wrapping Wire on a terminal or tab havinga hole therein adapted to receive a wire end, a center pin, the centerpin being formed with a slot extending longitudinally of the center pinand extending out one end of the center pin, said slot being adapted toreceive the terminal or tab and to prevent rotation of the terminal ortab within the slot, a sleeve-like member rotatably mounted on thecenter pin for movement between the first and second positions, saidsleevelike member having only one portion extending beyond said one endof the center pin, said portion being formed to subtend only arelatively small angle in comparison to the total circumference of thesleeve-like member, said portion also being formed with a substantiallyplanar face extending at substantially right angles to the longestdimension in cross-section of the slot and substantially equidistantbetween the extremities of said longest dimension when said sleeve-likemember is in said first position so that the wire end can be inserted inthe hole in the terminal or tab in a direction at substantially rightangles to the longitudinal axis of a sleeve-like member while the tab isheld by the center pin and so the wire end will overlie said face, saidportion also having a substantially curved face adjoining saidsubstantially planar face and being immediately adjacent said slot whensaid sleeve-like member is in said first position, said substantiallycurved face and said substantially planar face being adapted to engagethe wire end after the wire end has been inserted through the hole inthe terminal, and means for rotating the sleeve-like member with respectto the center pin from said first to said second position to cause saidsubstantially curved face and said substan tially planar face to engagethe wire end and to twist the wire end about the terminal or tab whileretaining the center pin in a stationary position to prevent twisting ofthe terminal or tab as the wire is twisted about the terminal or tab.

2. In a wire wrapping tool for wrapping a wire on a terminal or tabhaving a hole therein adapted to receive a wire end, a center pin, thecenter pin being formed with a slot extending longitudinal-1y of the pinand opening through the top side of the pin and one end of the pin, saidslot being formed to receive a terminal or tab, a sleeve-like memberrotatably mounted on the center pin and covering the top side of saidslot, said sleevelike member having a portion extending beyond said oneend of said center pin, an additional sleeve-like member rotatablymounted on the first named sleeve-like member, said additionalsleeve-like member extending beyond said one end of the center pin andhaving a cut-out portion extending longitudinally of the additionalsleevelike member, yieldable means for retaining the first named sleeveand the portion carried thereby in a predetermined position with respectto the center pin so that the wire end can be inserted through the holein the terminal in a direction at right angles to the longitudinal axisof the center pin while the terminal is being held by the center pin,the cut-out in the additional sleeve being positioned so that the wireend can be inserted through the hole in the terminal from one side, saidadditional sleeve being engaged by the wire end after it is insertedthrough the hole in the terminal to limit the length of wire which canbe extended through the terminal, and means for rotating the first namedsleeve-like member with respect to the center pin against the force ofthe yieldable means to rotate said portion into engagement with the wireend and to thereafter continue rotation of said portion to twist thewire end about the terminal while at the same time retaining the centerpin in a stationary position to thereby prevent twisting of the terminalas the wire end is twisted onto the terminal.

3. In a wire wrapping tool for wrapping wire on a terminal or tab havinga hole therein adapted to receive a wire end, a center pin, the centerpin being formed with a slot extending longitudinally of the center pinand extending out one end of the center pin, said slot being adapted toreceive the terminal or tab and to prevent rotation of the terminal ortab within the slot, a sleevelike member rotatably mounted on the centerpin and having a portion extending beyond said one end of the centerpin, the portion being formed so that the wire end can be inserted intothe hole in the terminal or tab in a direction substantially at rightangles to the longitudinal axis of the sleeve-like member while theterminal or tab is being held by the center pin, said portion beingadapted to engage the wire end after the wire end has been passedthrough the hole in the terminal or tab, means for rotating thesleeve-like member with respect to the center pin to cause said portionto engage the wire and twist the Wire end about the terminal whileretaining the center pin in a stationary position to prevent twisting ofthe tab as the wire is twisted about the terminal, and an additionalsleeve-like member rotatably mounted on the first named sleeve-likemember, said additional sleeve-like member having a portion extendingbeyond said one end of the center pin, said additional sleeve-likemember having a cut-out extending longitudinally of the additionalsleevelike member and serving to expose the terminal placed in thecenter pin so that the Wire end can be placed through the hole in theterminal in a direction at right angles to the longitudnal axis of theadditional sleeve-like member during the time the terminal is held bythe center pin, said additional sleeve-like member serving to limit thelength of wire which can be extended through the terminal.

4. A wire wrapping tool as in claim 3 together with a housing supportingsaid center pin, said first named sleeve-like member and said additionalsleeve-like member, said housing being in the form of a pistol andwherein said means for rotating the first named sleeve-like member withrespect to said center pin includes an operating lever movable into andout of the housing, a vertically reciprocating rack operated by saidlever, and a pinion secnned to said first named sleeve and engaging saidrack and being driven by said rack to rotate said first namedsleeve-like member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,585,010 Hickman et a1. Feb. 10, 1952 2,635,819 Bennett Apr. 21, 19532,648,356 Beaulieu et al Aug. 11, 1953 2,725,198 Reck Nov. 2 19552,732,139 Shalf Jan. 24, 1956 2,998,590 Buhrendorf Aug. 29, 1961

1. IN A WIRE WRAPPING TOOL FOR WRAPPING WIRE ON A TERMINAL OR TAB HAVINGA HOLE THEREIN ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A WIRE END, A CENTER PIN, THE CENTERPIN BEING FORMED WITH A SLOT EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE CENTER PINAND EXTENDING OUT ONE END OF THE CENTER PIN, SAID SLOT BEING ADAPTED TORECEIVE THE TERMINAL OR TAB AND TO PREVENT ROTATION OF THE TERMINAL ORTAB WITHIN THE SLOT, A SLEEVE-LIKE MEMBER ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON THECENTER PIN FOR MOVMENT BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND POSITIONS, SAIDSLEEVELIKE MEMBER HAVING ONLY ONE PORTION EXTENDING BEYOND SAID ONE ENDOF THE CENTER PIN, SAID PORTION BEING FORMED TO SUBTEND ONLY ARELATIVELY SMALL ANGLE IN COMPARISON TO THE TOTAL CIRCUMFERENCE OF THESLEEVE-LIKE MEMBER, SAID PORTION ALSO BEING FORMED WITH A SUBSTANTIALLYPLANAR FACE EXTENDING AT SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHT ANGLES TO THE LONGESTDIMENSION IN CROSS-SECTION OF THE SLOT AND SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIDISTANTBETWEEN THE EXTREMITIES OF SAID LONGEST DIMENSION WHEN SAID SLEEVE-LIKEMEMBER IS IN SAID FIRST POSITION SO THAT THE WIRE END CAN BE INSERTED INTHE HOLE IN THE TERMINAL OR TAB IN A DIRECTION AT SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHTANGLES TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF A SLEEVE-LIKE MEMBER WHILE THE TAB ISHELD BY THE CENTER PIN AND SO THE WIRE END WILL OVERLIE SAID FACE, SAIDPORTION ALSO HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CURVED FACE ADJOINING SAIDSUBSTANTIALLY